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Nov. 17th, 2018 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhWhew, I am way behind on writing up book reviews. It's been a busy couple of months, you guys.
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells. #3 in the Murderbot Diaries, and possibly my favorite one yet. In this novella, Murderbot (as it calls itself; it's actually a Security Unit – a weapon/computer-enabled cloned cyborg – that has hacked its governor module to allow it to make its own choices) is searching for evidence to take down GrayCris, the corporation that tried to kill one of Murderbot's favorite humans. Not that Murderbot has many favorite humans, since it prefers binging on the future-equivalent of Netflix and avoiding all eye contact or feelings. The evidence is hidden on an abandoned space station which, being abandoned, is understandably not visited by regular public transportation. Murderbot is thus forced to infiltrate a team of scientists trying to reclaim the station, who have their own human security team (Murderbot is very, very skeptical of human security) and annoyingly cheerful bot:
Miki said, Okay, I will do that, Consultant Rin. That sounds scary, but I want to make sure no one hurts my friends.
This felt way too easy. I almost suspected a trap. Or … Miki, have you been directed to reply to every query with a yes?
No, Consultant Rin, Miki said, and added, amusement sigil 376 = smile.
Of course the station turns out to be not entirely abandoned, leading to several really fantastic action scenes as Murderbot battles an unknown enemy in dark, silent hallways. Creepy and exciting!
As always, it's funny, it's quietly political (the central concept is, after all, a sentient being owned by a corporation, and it's not just subtext), and then the emotions sneak up and wallop you from behind. I love Murderbot.
Built on Bones: 15,000 Years of Urban Life and Death by Brenna Hassett. A nonfiction book about archaeology told in a funny, easily accessible style. Built on Bones focuses on two major turning points in prehistory: the Neolithic Revolution (the invention of farming, the shift from nomadic hunter-gathering to settled villages with domesticated plants and animals) and the Urban Revolution (the development of cities), and how these changes affected human lives and health. Hassett is a bioarchaeologist - one whose speciality is analyzing human bones – so much of her data is focused on that, but she pulls in all sorts of threads to recreate the complicated world of the past.
Hassett's vision of prehistoric life is refreshingly balanced. She portrays the pre-Neolithic world as neither brutish and half-starved, from which we were only rescued by progress and technology, nor as an idyllic Eden that stress and pollution has forever destroyed. She's managed to write a book that can serve as an introduction to this historical period and archaeological techniques while also including some of the latest discoveries, which is just incredibly impressive. She also has a great sense of humor; you've got to love a science book that can throw in references to Monty Python, selfie duckface, and the sexual escapades of a typical archaeology dig.
All around, I can't recommend Built on Bones enough. If you have any remote interest in early history, you should absolutely pick up this book.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells. #3 in the Murderbot Diaries, and possibly my favorite one yet. In this novella, Murderbot (as it calls itself; it's actually a Security Unit – a weapon/computer-enabled cloned cyborg – that has hacked its governor module to allow it to make its own choices) is searching for evidence to take down GrayCris, the corporation that tried to kill one of Murderbot's favorite humans. Not that Murderbot has many favorite humans, since it prefers binging on the future-equivalent of Netflix and avoiding all eye contact or feelings. The evidence is hidden on an abandoned space station which, being abandoned, is understandably not visited by regular public transportation. Murderbot is thus forced to infiltrate a team of scientists trying to reclaim the station, who have their own human security team (Murderbot is very, very skeptical of human security) and annoyingly cheerful bot:
Miki said, Okay, I will do that, Consultant Rin. That sounds scary, but I want to make sure no one hurts my friends.
This felt way too easy. I almost suspected a trap. Or … Miki, have you been directed to reply to every query with a yes?
No, Consultant Rin, Miki said, and added, amusement sigil 376 = smile.
Of course the station turns out to be not entirely abandoned, leading to several really fantastic action scenes as Murderbot battles an unknown enemy in dark, silent hallways. Creepy and exciting!
As always, it's funny, it's quietly political (the central concept is, after all, a sentient being owned by a corporation, and it's not just subtext), and then the emotions sneak up and wallop you from behind. I love Murderbot.
Built on Bones: 15,000 Years of Urban Life and Death by Brenna Hassett. A nonfiction book about archaeology told in a funny, easily accessible style. Built on Bones focuses on two major turning points in prehistory: the Neolithic Revolution (the invention of farming, the shift from nomadic hunter-gathering to settled villages with domesticated plants and animals) and the Urban Revolution (the development of cities), and how these changes affected human lives and health. Hassett is a bioarchaeologist - one whose speciality is analyzing human bones – so much of her data is focused on that, but she pulls in all sorts of threads to recreate the complicated world of the past.
Hassett's vision of prehistoric life is refreshingly balanced. She portrays the pre-Neolithic world as neither brutish and half-starved, from which we were only rescued by progress and technology, nor as an idyllic Eden that stress and pollution has forever destroyed. She's managed to write a book that can serve as an introduction to this historical period and archaeological techniques while also including some of the latest discoveries, which is just incredibly impressive. She also has a great sense of humor; you've got to love a science book that can throw in references to Monty Python, selfie duckface, and the sexual escapades of a typical archaeology dig.
All around, I can't recommend Built on Bones enough. If you have any remote interest in early history, you should absolutely pick up this book.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
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Date: 2018-11-19 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-11-27 02:28 am (UTC)